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Today is the first working day in 2030. On my way to work, I check my smart home application on my mobile as usual. I consumed yesterday almost 14 kWh of electricity and I produced around 10 kWh but that’s fine since I’m still making money out of the subsidized feed-in tariff. I look out of the window fascinated by how Irbid has transformed into an incredibly sustainable city in no time. Irbid is Jordan’s second largest city after Amman. It has always attracted students from all over the Middle East and Asia for having some of the best universities in the region. Only 15 years back, living in Irbid was full of challenges on so many levels; employment rates were extremely low as all SMEs and big corporate were based in Amman, there were more than 600,000 Syrian refugees in Zaatari Camp alone, and as every other Jordanian city, Irbid had no natural resources at all. Jordan was the world’s second water-poorest country and used to import 97% of its energy.

All those issues have been resolved when the municipality introduced the iMEP (Irbid Master Eco Plan) and that was more of what I like to call, EcoSocioRev; an Ecological, Economical and Social Revolution. Many programs were initiated right after to cover almost every aspect in the city such as iShare, iGenerate, iProduce, iPlant, iWalk, iRecycle…etc.

We live now in a smart house, properly insolated, energy efficient and powered by a hybrid system made of BIPV, Solar Thermal and Vertical Wind Turbine. Houses now are tinier as we have access to the compound’s shared facilities such as sports center, kids’ playground, library…etc. All residential areas now are made of compounds which have their internal bike sharing systems, small farms to plant enough vegetables for the residents, waste corners and a Solar-Powered EV stations.

Irbid has become a pedestrian and biking friendly city, all vehicles are now electrical including ambulances and fire engines, and almost none has a car nowadays, if we need one, we can rent the compound’s electric car. Different compounds, universities, schools and business parks are connected through electric locomotive powered by CSP, PV, and wind power. This was built only five years ago after sodium batteries became commercially viable. Irbid became a zero energy city since then and the distributed energy generation helped in achieving this.

Employment issues have successfully been resolved especially after Amman’s bubble burst. It has been proven that it’s more feasible to open a business in Irbid than in any other place in Jordan. Thus, many startups have been founded over the past 10 years by students and fresh graduates and big corporate have opened branches in Irbid. People now call it the Jordanian Silicon Valley; many researches are being done here and many others work in power plants, farming and water desalination. Water is no longer an issue as its being now pumped from Aqaba, through a canal covered by solar PV to generate energy and reduce the evaporation.

No Waste is Going to Waste is one of my most favorite initiatives. It was launched back in 2017 by the housewives and female refugees who created thousands of jobs to themselves. Some local trendsetters have introduced EcoFashion to the community by recycling clothes into modern designs which are now being sold all over the MENA region.

Irbid has come a long way since 2015 through many small leaps and few big ones. Who would have thought urbanism can challenge the world’s most serious problems in a couple of decades and succeed?

My friend Bastian Purrer has asked me a question a few days ago (after seeing this picture above on instagram):

How can you be so green but not vegetarian?

Let me at first make things clear, I can and will NEVER become a vegan; cheese is what keeps me going and it’s not harmful.

But why am I not vegetarian?

1. I’m a muslim and in my religion, eating meat is halal (allowed) without extravagance. 2. The meat I eat comes from locally grown animals. And they’re fresh. No packaging, and energy used for transport and cooling is being conserved.3. What I eat is organic meat and diary.4. The products are mostly free-range and ranch raised. 5. The farms are relatively small; almost no chemicals are being used and less manure is used to filterize the soil.

So, I consider myself a “Flexitarian” at the moment. I’m not ready to commit a full-on vegetarian lifestyle but I reduce my meat consumption. And once I move to a place where all the above does not apply (except the first point), I’ll reconsider becoming a vegetarian.

Being honest is not the best policy you can consider when someone is trying to save himself from the truth. And she masters this art. Being righteous is never quite enough. She’s just like a deceiver, self-bound up in chains. I want to save her but I’m afraid she’ll strangle me with her superciliousness and haughtiness. Just like she always did. She doesn’t stop pushing and pushing. Her hands are getting bigger and bigger, stronger and stronger. And I can’t keep a distance. All what I can do is paint my face to hide my pain. For the sense of purpose and devotion shall save me one day.

Since we were young, we’ve been told that it’s always greener on the other side. I thought by then, why to waste my entire life planting here while I can enjoy a greener life? I kept digging and digging until I got to that other green side. Yes, after a few months, I managed to keep a distance. It’s not happiness. It’s not contentment. It’s not vivacity. It’s not serenity. It’s not ecstasy. It’s an irresponsible- unstoppable- gilt edged- impermanent- tale. This is different, I’m not sure if it’s better. But this is the best I can afford for now.

If only she knew that a smile, a caring word and a warm embrace would have solved it all. If she only knew that being given whatever tangibles someone needs before naming them is just never enough. Since when have tangibles become persuasively satisfying? And to add insult to injury, I am supposed to translate these tangibles into to-give-back-emotions. I’m expected to give what I’ve never received. I can give it but I just refuse to. Not out of stubbornness. Out of utopian logic. Out of pain and sorrow.